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Erik Brown, principal at Walsh School, addresses the crowd after recieving the first President's Educator of the Year Award from Jimmie Griffin, President of the Greater Waterbury NAACP, during the 65th annual Freedom Fund Awards Luncheon in 2010. Republican-American archive

WATERBURY — Mayor Neil O'Leary and School Superintendent Kathleen Ouellette are reaching out to African-American leaders amid a political row concerning the fate of the district's only African-American building principal.

Some leaders of the black community are convinced that school administrators are determined to remove Walsh Elementary School Principal Erik Brown, whose inner-city school has the district's lowest standardized test scores.

School officials have repeatedly stressed they have no such plans, a point they are emphasizing in a series of meetings with community leaders.

Joyner, a widely respected education expert, has been chosen by Ouellette to lead committees that are planning changes for Walsh and Crosby High School under a new state-funded reform initiative. Joyner has already been paid $135,000 between 2007 and 2009 to help bring reform to Walsh.

In February, Joyner said Brown didn't adequately implement academic components of the reform.

O'Leary and Ouellette have since met with prominent African-American civic leaders and clergy.

O'Leary held a meeting last -week with the Rev. Calbert R. Brantley and the Rev. Thomas Mallory of Zion Baptist Church; the Rev. Leroy O. Perry of Mount Olive A.M.E. Zion Church; New Opportunities for Waterbury Executive Director James Gatling and Joyner.

O'Leary said he felt public comments on Walsh were becoming "too personalized," and that people were losing focus on what's really important.

"We all agreed at the end of the day, the students come first," O'Leary said. "It's not a personality issue. It's not about one individual. It's about the students at Walsh and what's best for them."

O'Leary said he'll stand behind the results of an independent audit of Walsh being conducted by state education officials.

That report — expected mid-month — will identify strengths and weaknesses in leadership, curriculum, teaching and other aspects of the school. It's not expected to have specific recommendations. It will be up to recently formed "turnaround committees" to form plans for Walsh and Crosby, including staffing, based on audit results.

OUELLETTE MET with a larger group of African-American ministers Tuesday at Grace Baptist Church. That meeting was scheduled prior to the controversy. It focused on an explanation of ongoing district-wide reforms. Ouellette and her administrative team were received warmly, though many questions strayed to long-held concerns of inequity.

Ouellette came to the district last school year with promises to address minority concerns. It seems she's determined to make good. She has filled four of six new top-level administrative posts with African-Americans, and has supported efforts to improve minority recruitment in the teaching ranks.

Ouellette was accompanied Tuesday by her new administrative team and Joyner. Individuals explained their role in reform. Of particular interest was new Talent and Professional Development Supervisor Shuana K. Tucker, who explained efforts to improve minority hires.

Tucker said her first task was to investigate past efforts.

"To be honest, I find out not a whole lot had been done," Tucker said.

That, however, has changed. Tucker has designed new promotional materials and has pulled together a volunteer recruitment team of 20 educators. Team members accompany her to recruiting fairs to help sell Waterbury to prospective applicants. The team includes African-Americans and Latinos, she said. Tucker and members of her team will visit 23 educator career fairs through June 1. Five of the stops will be at historically African-American institutions, two more will be career fairs for minority individuals. Tucker said Ouellette has been "extremely supportive" of her efforts.

In an interview Thursday, Tucker said she doesn't yet have any target quota for minority hires, but the district could certainly use a better balance.

"I think children in the Waterbury Public Schools need to see people who look like them, who are from their culture," Tucker said. "I'm not saying everyone needs to be, but they need to see some."

JOYNER WAS paid $135,000 between 2007 and 2009 to help bring reform under the "Comer process" to Walsh. Interviewed in late February, Joyner said Brown focused on social and cultural improvements, but didn't implement necessary academic components.

"While I feel badly about the results, first of all, whether I was there or not, whoever was in charge of the school was responsible for making sure the school was a good place for the kids," Joyner said at the time.

Joyner has since been hesitant to make public comments, saying he doesn't want to stir emotions. On Friday, he offered a brief, supportive, statement for Brown.

"Erik Brown is a good human being," Joyner said. "I remain a staunch ally of Erik Brown, and he will do even better with support."

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Athena wrote on Mar 9, 2013 11:49 PM:

" What appears to be a behind the scenes hidden agenda definitely tells a different story..... "

" Do not get this They want to removed a man that all his lived has devoted to his student! Talk about judment so let me tell you if you want i heard that you aid at city hall Mr mayor has a criminal record Geraldo Reyes and you have not fire hem. This is crazy how can you mess some like this principal. he is nice person "

" It is time for him to go. Forget the color of his skin as it does not matter. He is just not a good principal. He is in fact a bad principal. He just so happens to be a bad black principal. Anyone that has seen him in action knows that he must go.

Jimmie Griffin creates an award to give to this man. What a moron

Stop thinking about one black man and start thinking about the four hundred little black children in that school and how they are staying behind due to his inability to run the school.

The black community needs to stop being ignorant and start raising their children properly.

" Did anyone check the employment history of the recently hired ILD's? Did anyone do a background check of their work experiences? Did anyone get demoted in their districts? Did anyone leave the district before getting demoted/fired? Google their names. Welcome to Waterbury. "

" This goes beyond (low test scores). This is about an administrator that had little teaching ,or any experience to become a principal. He has had a very unhealthy climate there since he has taken leadership. Teachers want out, and no one ever wants to be transferred there. He doesn't have the ability to collaborate with staff or be a true leader. There is talk of reconstructing staff and administrators. What teacher from Maloney or Rotella would even want to teach there let alone drive by there. Community, what community???? There meeting there were not even 12 parents there. Poor outing for a school of 700 pupils. Most are in walking distance. NAACP should not invest so much effort into Brown, he discredits them as well. He has also a very sick way of dealing with teachers he doesn't like. One way is to stack the deck or their classroom with all the children that are servere discipline problems. Taking them out of other classes in the same grade level. The teacher is then set up for failure. Another method is to send a ridicuous letter stating what a teacher did wrong which is just a trivial non important thing. A sad man in a sad place. True re-constuction may not be utilized here which defeats all purposes of a "re-constructive" tak over. The children deserve better. Not long ago a teacher was removed for supposingly hitting a child. Brown called parents and encouraged them to press charges. Brown didn'have the spine or guts to even discuss this matter with the person they were accusing. DCF, threw it out. Could Mrs. Brown and Mr.Brown be the conspiring to remove this individual? I have seen Mrs. Brown do a lot more than the typical proding that SE teachers do. Is this racial? It time to get rid of this guy, once and for all. "

" It's a 'distraction' technique. Everybody will be paying attention and putting energy into dispelling the hype that Erik Brown is getting kicked to the curb, while the "African-American leaders" slip something past the goalie. Be alert! A policy, the name of a school, a new hire - something (controversial) is being plotted and the Erik Brown story is the decoy. "

" Ohh those poor blacks are crying racism again. They already are given enough government help to achieve sucess in todsys society and still can't get it together. As a state employee I see firsthand everyday how the state caters to minorities and gives them extra advantages whites don't have. Its not always racism when things don't go a black persons way. "

" White or black does not matter - if these kids are from broken families, mostly without a father figure, what do you expect to happen? It comes down to personal responsibility and not the principle. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. "

" Someone I have admired all of my life once said "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal". I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood... I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Everything in this disgusting argument points to how little has change in the last 50 years. Oh, we're way more sophisticated in being bourgeois towards one another - black AND white. Good people get stuck in failing schools and have their hands tied behind their back, and when they fail to raise the standard they find themselves run out on a rail - unless of course they are someone's son, or someone's daughter, or someone's (fill in the blank) they rise through the ranks like cream on skim milk.

And it must be said that other community leaders take the lazy way out and cry "racism" as if racism is somehow a one-way street.

What a bunch of hypocritical, narrow-minded gangster punks.

I hope the current leadership has the courage and the conviction to set clear goals, clean house, Set standards and FIRE ANYONE WHO DEMONSTRATED AN INABILITY TO BE PROFESSIONAL AND DO THEIR JOB. It's time to build a school system that can truly be a light shining on the hill.

"And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

" Why would the Mayor cow-toe to "black leaders" in the community? This is a personnel issue and shouldn't be discussed by anyone but the principal and the superintendent. This has NOTHING to do with the Micromanager (mayor). Mr Brown should hire a lawyer to investigate what the Mayor discussed about his work history with private citizens. can you say lawsuit? "

" Does he sit down with the Ponte's Community to discuss Principal Santoro's job performance? To the Hibernians to discuss principal O'Mally's performance? Then why to the black community to discuss Mr. Browns?

2ndly, Why is he even involved? If he wants to to Dr Oulette's job, fire her and save the money. "

" Why is Ouellette and the mayor spending so much time on this we have better things to accomplish in the schools.The "community" should back down or channel their energies at the state level they are the one's that have not yet determined what to do.As for Jordyn he messed up the first time and wasted thousands he should not have been allowed anywhere near this situation.Now for Brown start believing in Santa Claus. "

" Jesus Christ himself is the only one who could bring ANY of these failing city schools up to passing. This is another lost minority generation. One that will be reliant on the government handout just to maintain life. The liberal's handout has ruined the African American and Latino communities across this country.

Teach a man to fish and he will eat forever. Give a man a fish and he'll come back day in and day out like a stray cat. "

" Firing is not the 1st step to correcting a problem, it's the last. !st you have to give the person the tools, program and training to succeed. Isn't that what the goal is? Or are we just looking to blame someone? I don't know if he has the tools or the training, if not give them to him. I do know he doesn't have the program, but then neither does any other principal.

Treat me equal. But If I don't get hired I will complain of racism. If I do get hired and I can not do the job, don't dare try to correct the problem or I will cry racism. Bob I have a dream too. "

" The city of wtby brought this isuue on themselves when Eric Brown was hired by the last super.,DR. Snead.

Why did they choose to ignore the FACT that mr brown did NOT have ANY qualifications to become a PRINCIPAL from the beginning??????

He was KING of his SEnior and Jr. prom ,That's what was stated in our newspaper AS FAR AS CREDENTIALS WERE CONCERNED .Wish THAT article COULD BE FOUND AND PUBLISHED AGAIN TO REMIND EVERYONE of their INITIAL MISTAKES!

Walsh has had EXCELLENT Principals in the PAST and YES ,for those that say it's about RACE , some were BLACK.! "

" Just to put it out there. Where wa the "commuinity " when the former Driggs principal was fired? He had more experience and also a low performing school. I know he was not in Waterbury long and forced out but he was a minority hire also. "

" Until this article, I never heard anyone say anything negative about Principal Brown except that the majority of children in his school do not observe Christmas and as such the school more than half empty from Thanksgiving to after Christmas. Valid point but not at issue here. To the matter of racism, that crack was made by someone of the now white minority. White to black is racism. Black to white is the response to racism.

The black community is seeking to support Mr. Brown. If however the issues that Mayor O'Reilly has with Mr. Brown have to do with his(Mr. Brown's) school performance and have not been discussed first with him, any discussion of such nature is illegal and I say, " get the lawyer". "

" SLee I said the same thing. It would be illegal for the Mayor to discuss Principal Brown's employment with these community "leaders". He knows it as does the Superintendent. I've heard the same about Mr Brown refusing the allow the kids to celebrate Christmas at school. Doesn't allow any Christmas decorations at the school as not to offend any other religion or lack of religion. Personally I would find a reason to fire him on that alone. This is a Christian Nation. We celebrate it and allow others to celebrate their beliefs. That's why anyone who loves their children doesn't send them to our failed socialist school system. "

" Why are one half of the students out of school from Thanksgiving through Christmas? I realize some religions do not celebrate holidays. You could do winter activities. But, I could see how there is a strong adherence to rules in Waterbury. How's that been working for them? "

" The believers in God, the Christians. They stay home to celebrate Christmas rather than ignore it as Mr Brown demands they do. I find it hard the community and it's "leaders" allow this man to force his non belief in God on his students. "

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